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Fine Hole EDM Drilling

MICRO DIAMETER EDM HOLES WITH HIGH PRECISION AND SUPERIOR EDGE QUALITY FOR CONTRACT MANUFACTURING

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Machining the Impossible – Fine Hole EDM Drilling Services

EDM Intelligent Solutions offer unique, fine hole EDM drilling services of blind and through holes in a wide variety of electrically conductive materials. Our purpose-built CNC operated EDM small hole drilling machines can produce fine diameter holes as small as 30 microns (0.0012”) in some of the toughest conductive materials available like carbide and nickel. High precision micro hole sizes, excellent hole edge quality, superior surface finish, improved overall part accuracy and excellent hole consistency is achieved through the use of cutting edge EDM generator technologies within the micro hole drilling machines and specialized electrode materials that allow the extremely fine diameter electrodes used to stand up to the EDM drilling spark erosion process. These advanced materials also reduce the electrode wear encountered during the spark machining process. The lower the wear of the electrode, the more holes each electrode can machine before it needs to be replaced.

 

What is EDM Hole Drilling?

Similar to Sinker EDM, micro hole drilling with electrical discharge machining uses electric current, carried to the workpiece through a pipe shaped or solid electrode, to erode or burn away electrically conductive materials. The electrode doesn’t ever touch the material being machined so deflection of the pipe electrode is minimized when compared to drilling holes with a traditional cutting tool. During EDM Hole Drilling the tube electrode is energized by the advanced EDM generator and spun at high speeds while high pressure flushing fluid is pumped through the tube electrode to flush out the workpiece material that is being cut away by the electrical erosion. This process allows EDM Intelligent Solutions to produce micro diameter, accurate holes quickly in nearly all types of conductive metals.  Our EDM Drilling machines are designed for the highest levels of accuracy with incredible reliability. Each micro hole drilling machine also has uniquely integrated automation of the machining process that results in increased productivity, making EDM Small Hole Drilling the perfect choice for projects with small diameter hole quantities ranging from just a few all the way up to high volume production applications requiring thousands of holes in hundreds or thousands of pieces.

Fine Hole EDM Drilling Capabilities

Producing holes smaller than the diameter of a human hair is no easy process. Harnessing decades of tight tolerance Sinker EDM experience, the team at EDM Intelligent Solutions is able to effectively machine holes in some of the hardest conductive materials available. We offer ultra-precision tolerances, as tight as 1µm, for an array of industries and micromanufacturing applications. Our 3-Axis and 5-Axis CNC small hole drilling electrical discharge machinery have the capacity to run multiple pipe electrode sizes, including micro-miniature pipes as small as 35µm (0.0014″) in diameter. We partner with suppliers worldwide to ensure continuous access to and timely delivery of micro pipe electrodes made to our exacting requirements from a variety of standard and exotic materials. This ensures that our EDM hole drilling machines are never left waiting for pipe electrodes to arrive while the drilling process is active 24/7. Extreme machining efficiencies are possible due to the integrated automation that changes both pipe electrodes and workpieces with no human intervention. This enhances overall productivity and saves our customers’ time and money. Our decades of EDM machining experience and state-of-the-art equipment enable us to provide repeatable quality parts and components from any type of conductive material.

We are continuously working with our technology partners to upgrade our CNC Fine Hole EDM Drilling machining capabilities to meet the ever-evolving needs of our diverse base of customers. We also complement our Fine Hole EDM capabilities with other manufacturing services like Precision Grinding and Micro Milling, as well as 3D measurement of machined components for full quality assurance.

 

Fine Hole EDM Drilling Specifics:

  • Advanced 3-Axis and 5-Axis CNC Fine Hole Drilling EDMs built for efficient 24/7 operation
  • Multiple pipe electrode materials are used like brass, copper and tungsten
  • Workpieces up to 2″ thick are easily machined using Fine Hole EDM Drilling
  • Micromachining Fine Hole EDM Drilling tolerances of 1µm and below
  • Fine (micro) EDM drilled hole diameters from 300 microns (0.0012″) to as small as 40 microns (0.0016″)
  • Surface Finishes down to 4Ra µin (micro inch) eliminate finishing and require no additional polishing
  • Small quantities of 1-50+ pieces
  • Contract Manufacturing of full production quantities of thousands of pieces

Fine Hole EDM Drilling Materials

EDMIS strives to meet your specific needs. Through strategic sourcing partnerships with a vast array of qualified material suppliers nationwide, we can manufacture your components from the exact materials that you require. Strict quality standards are met by all vendors and material suppliers to EDM Intelligent Solutions to ensure that the components we produce can meet the highest standards commonly required by the Aerospace, Automotive, Communications, Defense, Medical and Scientific industries.

When it comes to materials, Fine Hole EDM Drilling is compatible with a large range of metals that conventional machining, like drilling and milling, are not always cut out for. Hardened materials like tungsten carbide are no match for the Fine Hole EDM erosion process. Softer materials like copper are gently drilled by the energized pipe electrodes and extremely thin materials are protected from damage and accurately machined since the electrode never actually makes contact with the workpiece.

 

Fine Hole EDM Drilling Compatible Materials

EDM Intelligent Solutions has completed thousands of Fine Hole EDM Drilling projects using a diverse set of materials including those listed below. Don’t see your specific material on the list? Contact us to determine if that material can be cut using CNC Electrical Discharge Machining and how EDMIS can source that material for you.

  • Aluminum
  • Brass
  • Copper
  • Exotic Metals
  • Molybdenum
  • Titanium
  • Tungsten
  • Carbide
  • Tool Steels
  • A-2, A-5, A-6, A-8
  • D-2, D-3, D-5
  • DC-53
  • H-11, H-12, H-13, H-19
  • L-6
  • M-1, M-2, M-3, M-4, M-42
  • O-1, O-6
  • S-1, S-7
  • T-1

Common Fine Hole EDM Drilling Applications

When components require extremely small and deep holes and/or micro sized through holes, Fine Hole EDM Drilling should be considered. Small Hole EDM Drilling services are well suited for parts requiring intricate tolerances, the limitation of material stress and thermal heating, and those needing superior surface roughness finishes. Small Hole Sinker EDM drilling is sometimes the only machining method that can produce such tiny holes when materials that are too hard or too brittle are required by design. Conventional machining methods like CNC drilling may not even have drills small enough available to match the sizes that Fine Hole EDM Drilling can produce. Through integrated machine automation, the quantities of parts being completed can easily be scaled up to meet the high volumes required by some of our largest customers.

This is just a small sample of all the types of components that EDM Intelligent Solutions has manufactured using our advanced Wire EDM machining processes. There really aren’t many types of parts that EDMIS has not worked on in some form over the last 25 years serving these industries. No project is too big or part too complex or tolerance too tight for EDM Intelligent Solutions which makes us the preferred partner for OEM manufacturers nationwide. To learn more about how EDMIS can help you contact our manufacturing team with your request for quote.

 

Sample Sinker EDM Applications

  • Interconnect Components – holes for microminiature electrical contacts
  • Fiber Optic Components – holes for micron sized glass fibers
  • Medical Components – holes for miniature drug delivery systems
  • Optical Lenses – holes for microminiature lens arrays
  • Research & Development – holes for extremely tiny particle sensors
  • Aerospace Industry – holes in jet engine turbine blades for cooling and fuel nozzle holes
  • Automotive Industry – holes in fuel injectors
  • Plastic Injection Molding – holes used as micro venting for miniature molds and applications using materials like liquid silicone rubber

Competitive Electrical Discharge Machining Solutions

As our name suggests, Fine Hole EDM Drilling is one of our main service offerings. Over the past 25 years, we’ve completed thousands of small hole EDM drilling projects. What differentiates EDM Intelligent Solutions Fine Hole EDM Drilling services from the competition is our ability to not only hold micron tolerances but to do so while still offering globally competitive pricing and lead times. Utilizing our vast knowledge of Fine Hole EDM techniques and decades of industry experience, we are confident that we can produce your most challenging components to your exact specifications. To learn more about how EDMIS can help you with your Micro Hole Drilling project, contact our manufacturing team with your request for quote.

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